In 2019, the new Bauhaus Museum opened in Weimar—timed with the centenary of the influential design school’s founding. Heike Hanada’s design emerged as the winning entry in an international competition held by the Klassik Stiftung Weimar. Her design sets a clear, rational counterpoint to the expressive Jugendstil of the neighboring Weimarhalle.
“A museum is more than just a container for art—it’s also a place of encounter and memory. The Bauhaus Museum isn’t a monument to the past, but a living part of the city.”
From the outside, the building reads as a cool, minimal volume. Its façade is composed of vertical concrete lamellae—finely cast to create rhythmic shadow effects as light shifts throughout the day. Behind these, a shimmering metal mesh wraps the glazed core of the building. At night, the museum glows from within, transforming into a subtle light sculpture in the cityscape.
Inside, the building is organized around a tall central void that runs vertically through all floors. A generous staircase links the galleries and defines the museum’s spatial sequence. The clean geometry and neutral material palette of exposed concrete and polished screed set the stage for the colorful exhibits—many from the legendary Bauhaus collection assembled by Walter Gropius in the 1920s.
Designed to house the world’s oldest Bauhaus collection, the museum offers nearly 2,000 square meters of exhibition space. The architectural language reflects the values of the Bauhaus itself: clarity, precision, and the fusion of form and function.
Each gallery is designed for flexibility, allowing for rotating exhibitions and diverse curatorial concepts. The robust construction, efficient circulation, and seamless transitions between spaces make the building as functional as it is expressive. Despite its monumentality, the architecture remains human in scale—thanks to the visual rhythm of the façade and the soft daylight that filters into the interior.
A Handle in Dialogue with Architecture
For the doors, Heike Hanada chose a handle of her own design: FSB 1147. Based on Ludwig Wittgenstein’s famed door handle, her version refines the original into a sleek, ergonomically balanced form. Used throughout the museum, it underscores the project’s architectural logic: minimal, tactile, and timeless.
Made of anodized aluminum in a black finish, the handle matches the vertical façade elements while contrasting with the polished concrete interiors. Like the building itself, the handle resists ornamentation—its strength lies in quiet presence, precise proportion, and material authenticity.
